Question 1

Am I a candidate?

Accepted Answer

That is what the free first visit is for. We measure your eyes, take a detailed scan of your cornea and look at how you use your eyes day to day. Then we tell you honestly whether this is something we can do for you.

Question 2

What if I am not a candidate?

Accepted Answer

We tell you the same day, and we tell you what your options are. Sometimes the answer is a lens instead of a laser, and sometimes it is a referral to the right specialist at our clinic.

Question 3

Will I get an answer the same day?

Accepted Answer

Yes. In most cases you leave knowing whether it is a yes, and with a recommendation. Occasionally one detail needs a doctor's confirmation at the complete exam.

Question 4

Is there a minimum or maximum age?

Accepted Answer

You need to be 18 or over, with a prescription that has settled. There is no upper limit. From around forty-five the lens inside every eye starts to stiffen, which changes which method suits you, and that is one of the things the free first visit works out.

Question 5

I have astigmatism. Can it be corrected?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Correcting astigmatism is part of what these methods are for. Which one suits your eyes depends on your scans, not on the astigmatism alone.

Question 6

Do I need to stop wearing contacts before the check?

Accepted Answer

Leave them out for at least 24 hours before, ideally 2 to 3 days. If that was not possible, come anyway and tell us what you wear.

Question 7

What is the difference between the methods?

Accepted Answer

We offer six. The laser methods reshape the cornea: SMILE Pro works through an opening of about 2 mm with no flap, Femto-LASIK and LASIK lift a thin flap and reshape underneath, and PRK works on the surface instead of inside. The lens methods leave the cornea alone: an implantable lens sits in front of your natural one and can be removed again, and a lens exchange replaces the natural lens permanently. Your scans decide which fits.

Question 8

How long does the treatment take?

Accepted Answer

The laser itself takes about ten seconds per eye. You are at the clinic for about an hour in total on the day, and you walk out afterwards.

Question 9

Does it hurt?

Accepted Answer

During the treatment, no. Drops numb the eye and you feel no pain; you do feel pressure and lights. Afterwards it depends on the method: with SMILE Pro and Femto-LASIK the usual is a few hours of stinging and watering on the first day. With PRK it is three to four days of real discomfort, which is why we say so on its own page. You get drops and a schedule for all of it.

Question 10

How soon will I see clearly?

Accepted Answer

It depends on the method. After SMILE Pro vision is good but hazy on day one and sharpens over the following days. Femto-LASIK and LASIK sharpen fastest. PRK takes weeks rather than days, and we say so in advance. After a lens procedure most people see well the next day.

Question 11

Can I do one eye at a time?

Accepted Answer

It is possible, but most people treat both together. The in-between period with one corrected eye is harder than people expect.

Question 12

Is the implantable lens permanent?

Accepted Answer

It can be removed, so it is reversible. A lens exchange is permanent: it replaces the eye's natural lens, which also means a cataract cannot form later.

Question 13

Is the first check really free?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The first check costs nothing and commits you to nothing.

Question 14

How long does the free first visit take?

Accepted Answer

About half an hour. You leave with a clear answer and a written quote.

Question 15

What happens during it?

Accepted Answer

We check your current glasses, measure your prescription, take a detailed scan of your cornea, check your eye pressure and how your eyes work together, and talk about how you use your eyes. Then we tell you where you stand.

Question 16

What does the price include?

Accepted Answer

The complete exam, the treatment, and all standard check-ups. You buy the drops we prescribe at a pharmacy; those are not included.

Question 17

Are the check-ups included?

Accepted Answer

Yes: the day after, one week, and one month. You buy the prescribed drops at a pharmacy.

Question 18

Is financing available?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Pay at once or in installments. Nothing to arrange in advance, and we go through it with you at the free first visit.

Question 19

I am visiting Barcelona. Can I combine my trip with treatment?

Accepted Answer

Many of the people we treat are visitors or have moved here recently. Plan for a few days: the complete exam, the treatment day, and the check-up the next morning. Tell us your dates and we will work around them, and we can coordinate later follow-up with an ophthalmologist at home.

Question 20

How safe is it?

Accepted Answer

Refractive surgery is one of the most studied elective procedures in medicine, and the group has been performing it for decades. It is still surgery, and every method carries risks. We go through the ones that apply to your eyes at the complete exam, before you decide anything, and we only recommend treatment when we think it is right for you.

Question 21

Is there anyone you turn away?

Accepted Answer

Yes, and we say so the same day. A cornea that is too thin or an unusual shape, a prescription that is still moving, significant dry eye or certain retinal conditions can rule the laser out. Sometimes the answer is a lens rather than a laser, and sometimes it is to wait or not to operate. That is why the first visit is free: so we can tell you no without it having cost you anything.

Question 22

Will I see halos at night?

Accepted Answer

You may, for the first few weeks, especially driving at night. In most cases it fades. If you have large pupils or a high prescription the risk is higher, and it is one of the things we measure at the first visit and talk through before anything is decided.

Question 23

Will I never need glasses again?

Accepted Answer

For distance, that is the goal. But from around forty-five the lens inside every eye stiffens, and most people eventually use reading glasses. That happens with or without treatment, and we will tell you honestly what to expect.

Question 24

What if the result is not quite right?

Accepted Answer

If your result needs fine-tuning, we correct it at no cost during the first year.

Question 25

Who performs the procedures?

Accepted Answer

Ophthalmologists from AdmiraVisión, which has operated on eyes in Barcelona for more than 25 years across three clinics. adéu.now is its refractive unit: the same surgeons and the same standards, working to the protocols the Sanoptis group follows across Europe.

Dr. Mª Pilar Prats Vidal

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